Legend L800 vs. SDA-SRS 1.2TL...
nooshinjohn
Posts: 25,411
Let me begin by thanking Polk Audio and the powers that be for making in possible for me to take advantage of the fantastic offer they made on the Legend series a couple months back. Were it not for their kindness, I would not be installing them in my rig any time soon. I am still setting them up, but I must say that the packaging on them was second to none. They arrived in perfect condition, though my boxes were dustier than grandma's attic and gave the appearance of having been opened before, I am more inclined to believe they were just triple-taped for shipping, and the slow boat from China accounts for the inch of dust.
The speakers themselves are beautiful, with a fit and finish that befits their price tag. Compared to the 1.2TL's, they are infinitely better built, and feel SOLID. The vintage Polks are heavier by comparison, but lack the truly inert feel and density of the newer model. I would imagine that if the L800 were scaled up in size to the SRS 1.2TL's, they would weigh in somewhere north of 300 pounds, so I am thankful they are of a size that is more manageable than the old ones are.
The speakers themselves are beautiful, with a fit and finish that befits their price tag. Compared to the 1.2TL's, they are infinitely better built, and feel SOLID. The vintage Polks are heavier by comparison, but lack the truly inert feel and density of the newer model. I would imagine that if the L800 were scaled up in size to the SRS 1.2TL's, they would weigh in somewhere north of 300 pounds, so I am thankful they are of a size that is more manageable than the old ones are.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
Comments
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I'm
without pics...
congrats hope they fill your expectations2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
But are you sure you have them set up correctly?
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Congrats!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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But are you sure you have them set up correctly?
They look to be setup properly to me!
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When I got my 800’s the boxes were pretty dusty on top as well. I am enjoying them more than I would have thought.
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Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them. It’ll be interesting since you may be the first guy to have modded 1.2tl’s and the new SDA’s in the same room.
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Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them. It’ll be interesting since you may be the first guy to have modded 1.2tl’s and the new SDA’s in the same room.
I have to remember to keep my mind open for at least 50 to 75 hours on these, so they have a chance to open up. The L800 have a very tall task in front of them, as right out of the box, they sound thin, sibilant, and lack the gravitas of the 1.2TL's....The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
And they will sound different
You have to determine that difference in a good way and the bad
Pro's and con's of each etc2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
I don't think comparing the l800 to the vintage sda line is a good way to go about it. The sda terminology is really where their similarities begin and end.
A 2 channel system takes years to dial in and refine. Cables, components, etc to find the synergy that really really works.
The sound of the 1.2tl is so dramatically different compared to the L800, I could see that not working. The 1.2tl is a very warm speaker with a pronounced midbass. The L800 is very linear, so a system geared towards the vintage line will probably be brighter and a little anemic on the l800.
The next thing is the l800 has polar opposite placement needs. The l800 really needs a couple feet off the back wall where as the older series needs inches.
The l800 at polkfest sounded excellent, but it took some trial and error to get them dialed in with the limited equipment we had. The room plays a huge roll in their performance- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
If I don’t get the sound I want with the current speaker cables, I will swap them out for OFC copper ones instead of the AQ Meteors, which are silver. That should be the only thing needed to swap.nothing else in my rig would be something that would be considered “bright”...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Congratulations! They look beautiful!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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I found having mine about three feet from the front wall and a few inches in front of the AV rack being best. Mine may benefit in placement by being about a foot closer together to each other than other speakers, including traditional SDA speakers, but that’s not an option in the room I have them.
The resolution on the Legend line is very high and they will reveal bad recordings and the nature of cabling or the sound signature of equipment very well. The L800s may lead to buying different gear that suits them. Not necessarily “better” gear but they may not be drop in speakers to replace others in some systems without changing things upstream and coming up with much different placement in the room.. Because of their warm and comfortable midrange from the doped paper midwoofers and passive radiators I always found older SDA speakers to sound unique but not highly resolving speakers in the higher frequencies. -
I associate myself with Sid's comments.
If you approach the L800 with the intent of hearing an updated 1.2tl......it's not a valid comparison. They are two totally different speakers with little, other than SDA technology in common. So, I think that folks who are dyed in the wool, old school SDA junkies will be disappointed.
Taken on it's own merits, I think it is a tremendous loudspeaker. Although, I think it is a far more demanding and unforgiving speaker than the older generation of SDA's. I think that some of Andrew Robinson's gripes were valid to an extent....but, I'd say what capable high end loudspeaker isn't? The SDA's that I've had/have are exceedingly forgiving and unfussy with few exceptions. The L800 is not nearly so forgiving....but the reward is huge. IMO.I plan for the future. - F1Nut -
If you approach the L800 with the intent of hearing an updated 1.2tl......it's not a valid comparison. They are two totally different speakers with little, other than SDA technology in common. So, I think that folks who are dyed in the wool, old school SDA junkies will be disappointed.
I also agree with this. I don't expect an updated 1.2TL... What I do expect is a thoroughly modern presentation of SDA, and these speakers are starting to come out of their shell a bit with 20 hours or so on them. They are very focused and detailed, which I like. One thing that gets me is that they can take material which I know to be well recorded, and make it sound like crap, while some MP3 sounds amazing.... more time on these and they should really come alive.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
John, just one observation I had when listening to these speakers...
When they were on the long wall? I wasn't too terribly impressed with them. The SDA was closed in and I was wondering if I would even have a good time listening to them and if I would be mainly listening to another rig all weekend (at this year's Polkfest).
When we moved them over to the short wall in front of the Bozack's? Holy crap Batman! They became a completely different speaker altogether. COMPLETELY different. The SDA went 5 to 6' outside of Troy's LR walls, the sound stage just filled the entire room and my initial reaction before we even did any more tweaking was literally....WOW. The same speaker went from seemingly ho-hum to WTF? Wow!
Not many speakers are drop in replacements. One may be close to a drop in but tweaks are almost always needed in order to optimize. Going from an old school SDA to the new one? Yeah, that's no where near a drop in replacement. they are 2 completely different animals and should be treated as such.Emlyn wrote:The L800s may lead to buying different gear that suits them. Not necessarily “better” gear but they may not be drop in speakers to replace others in some systems without changing things upstream and coming up with much different placement in the room.
John, word of advice? Lose the silver. That isn't a good match with these speakers. The older SDA's? Yes. These? No.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Moving the speakers is not an option in my space. They have really begun to open up however...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Understood. The last pic I saw where you had your old SDA's, it looked like there wasn't much wiggle room and I had a feeling you were gonna say that. Might be time to play around with PC's IC's, placement (where you can), treatments or anything else that would optimize these to your rig.....'cause like the aforementioned, they are definitely not a drop in replacement. Have fun! I know I would.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
the worst sound I get comes from vinyl that was recorded to my hard drive. All are complete trash... Karen Carpenter sounds stunning.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
But are you sure you have them set up correctly?
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My little sda2a's sound way better on the short wall than they do on the long wall.
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I’ve found that SDA does better with side boundary reinforcement.....for whatever reason.I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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One thing that gets me is that they can take material which I know to be well recorded, and make it sound like crap, while some MP3 sounds amazing.... more time on these and they should really come alive.
This makes absolutely zero sense to meI plan for the future. - F1Nut -
One thing that gets me is that they can take material which I know to be well recorded, and make it sound like crap, while some MP3 sounds amazing.... more time on these and they should really come alive.
This makes absolutely zero sense to me
me either...
I am trying my vinyl out now, and even the MoFi recordings are a mess. Digital sounds far better so far.Post edited by nooshinjohn onThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Remove the Monster Power "conditioner."
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And this is what Drew's been saying along!nooshinjohn wrote: »[MP3 sounds amazing...I disabled signatures. -
Almost sounds like they need broke in more and you are in that transition region where the sound is all over the place. Maybe try moving them out a couple of inches and smoking some weed. Always works for me.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
They go from goosebumps to WTF...
And this is what Drew's been saying along!nooshinjohn wrote: »[MP3 sounds amazing...
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Do you have the Santana Abraxas SACD? or a good recording?
The quick run through I had with the L800's this was most impressive
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Do you have Jamaican Bobsled Team seating in that room @nooshinjohn ?
(sorry, I simply cannot get that image out of my head...)
